More Reindeer

Went out Monday evening to see if I could catch the herd before they are moved out to their summer calving grounds. I found them on part of Jimmy Lake and up on the hillside. They certainly have a zone of agitation - if you get within 50m or so they always back off until the zone is re-established. Hence I had to resort to stalking them by staying low and moving incrementally. Any movement whilst standing set them off. Several were constantly vigilant and were always watchful of what I was doing. About a 55 km round trip by snowmobile to the herd form town.

More pix in and around Tuktoyaktuk central

After getting back from the pingos, I headed to town and wandered around a bit - just long enough to miss the Northmart which closes at 7 and not 9 like Inuvik. again, the northern terminus of the Trans Canada Trail, the churches, some newer houses in town, some older - replete with snowed in pick-ups.

More shots around town. Tuk has a radio station - mainly used for bingo, a now closed fur shop, housing that varies from new to abandoned and of course the omnipresent pingos in the background.

Our Lady of Lourdes etc

...and some shots leaving town. On the way out I stopped and hiked over to the edge of the exposed permafrost - Massive Ice Sheet. It's about a km abd a bit ooff the road and all of about 6 m high, but it is ice and it is vertical. There is also an eroded pingo, ie half of it to the south of the point as well.

Few more, with the shadow of the earth in the waning evening light - cool to be able to see the shadow progress across the arctic sky. More cracking on the edge of the ice road and the moon reflecting on the ice.